Petition to Recall Big Spring Mayor Certified

BIG SPRING, TX – The petition to recall the Mayor of Big Spring was officially certified on Monday.

As previously reported, on July 31, employees with the City of Big Spring along with City Councilwoman Camilia Strand started a petition for a recall election against Mayor Shannon Thomason. Here is the original story: Big Spring Mayor Faces Recall Petition

The complaint alleged the Mayor should be recalled for a variety of reasons including dereliction of duty, threatening city employees, and cussing at city employees. City Councilwoman Strande alleged that the Mayor abused the employees. 

“Thomason yells at them, berates them, for long periods of time,” said Strande. “At one meeting it was like an hour and a half where he yelled at one staff member.”

According to the Big Spring Herald, on August 10, City Secretary Don Moore certified the petition. 872 signatures were received and of those 771 were valid signatures. The total number of signatures required was 549 based off of the votes cast in the last regular City Election which totaled 1,569 votes. Originally the projected numbers were based off of the runoff election, which had 2,135 votes cast and would have required 747 signatures. Regardless, the total number of certified signatures surpassed both projections.

Prior to learning the recall would happen Mayor Thomason released this statement: 

“I ran for this office to represent all of the citizens of Big Spring to the best of my ability.  I view the recall process as being similar to an employee review process and I don’t take it personally.  If the citizens want me out, they’ll vote me out and I am absolutely fine with that.  If they want me to continue the job I’ve started, I will happily do so for as long as they want me to or until the Charter requires me to step down.  Until the citizens make their decision, I will uphold my oath and continue to do the job that you elected me to do.  Ultimately, I serve at your pleasure.”

“With regards to the allegations made in the two affidavits and the letter filed with the City Secretary:  These are serious accusations and I categorically, vehemently, and unabashedly deny them!  I demand PROOF from the affiant for each accusation she has made, as should the citizens.  As for me, I will absolutely address each and every one of those fully just as soon as I have had an opportunity to confer with legal counsel.  I will state that, to my knowledge, none of the crimes that I am accused of committing in the documents have been officially reported to law enforcement.  Luckily, in this country, everyone is considered innocent until they have been charged, tried, and convicted by a jury of their peers and a person can’t be convicted on flimsy accusations or hearsay.”

The council will now have an emergency reading at the next city council meeting to call for the special election to be held on November 3.